South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Japan on Saturday for a summit expected to reaffirm security cooperation between the two East Asian neighbours, ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday.
On his first official visit to Japan since taking office in June, Lee will meet Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the premier’s residence in Tokyo to discuss bilateral ties, including closer security cooperation with the United States under a trilateral pact signed by their predecessors.
The snap election victory of the liberal Lee following the impeachment of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol for declaring martial law—raised concerns in Tokyo that relations with Seoul could deteriorate.
Lee has criticised previous attempts to mend ties strained by lingering resentment over Japan’s 1910–1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Last week, the South Korean government expressed “deep disappointment and regret” after Japanese officials visited a Tokyo shrine honouring Japan’s war dead, which many Koreans regard as a symbol of wartime aggression.
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Nonetheless, Lee has said he supports closer relations with Japan, including during his first meeting with Ishiba on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada in June.
Despite their differences, the two U.S. allies depend heavily on Washington to counter China’s growing regional influence. Together, they host around 80,000 U.S. troops, dozens of American warships, and hundreds of military aircraft.
In Washington, Lee and Trump are expected to discuss security concerns such as China, North Korea, and Seoul’s financial contributions for U.S. forces stationed in South Korea an issue Trump has repeatedly pressed.
Japan and South Korea also share common ground on trade, with both agreeing to impose 15% tariffs on U.S. imports of their goods after Trump threatened steeper duties.
